House Bill 7378 - the Daylight Act of 2026
House Bill 7378 - the Daylight Act of 2026 - is a bill that would permanently shift all U.S. time zones 30 minutes earlier than current standard time and eliminate Daylight Saving Time (DST) nationwide.
It amends the 1918 Calder Act, the original federal law governing U.S. standard time, to redefine standard time and to implement 30 minute time zone differentials permanently. The Bill also repeals Section 3 of the Uniform Time Act of 1966 to eliminate DST, ending the twice yearly clock changes.
The bill creates a new permanent time that is halfway between Standard Time and DST. So for any date of the year:
- Compared to today's Standard Time - sunrise & sunset occur 30 minutes earlier
- Compared to today's DST - sunrise & sunset occur 30 minutes later
General Effects Across the U.S.
Summer |
Mornings get darker (sunrise ~30 minutes later than current DST). Evenings get brighter (sunset ~30 minutes later than current DST). |
Winter |
Mornings get brighter (sunrise ~30 minutes earlier than current Standard Time). Evenings get darker (sunset ~30 minutes earlier than current Standard Time). |
This Act, including the amendments made by this Act, shall take effect on the day that is 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
As of now, the bill has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and is pending further action.
The Bill is sponsored by Republican Gregory Steube, Representative for Florida's 17th congressional district.
Some Background
Source: The Hill
Federal law only allows states to opt for permanent standard time, not permanent daylight savings time. Hawaii and much of Arizona have long exempted themselves from the biannual changing of the clocks - they observe standard time year-round.
Dozens of other states have tried to lock their clocks in recent years, including the nearly 20 that have enacted laws calling for permanent daylight saving time, which is not permitted under Federal law. However, legislation for permanent standard time remains under consideration in more than a dozen states.
Health experts generally agree that we should lock our clocks on permanent standard time. There are five bills in Congress - two for permanent daylight saving time, two to leave the decision to the states, and one calling for half-daylight saving time - that remain in committees. It is too soon to say whether Congress will pass any of the bills that have been introduced, or whether any additional state-level laws will be enacted.
Without any wide-sweeping action, our clocks will fall back an hour on Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 2:00am - the first Sunday in November.
See also Menu > Time > Time Designations for a discussion of time zones.